I found the carbine wanting a little balisticly, but an old guy I knew who walked across Italy in 1943 said the weight difference with the M-1 made him choose the carbine.
My uncle was on occupation duty with the 24th Division in Japan in June 1950 when the Norks went into South Korea and they handed him an M2 carbine when he got on the boat that Tuesday. When they got off they handed him a couple of magazines of ammo and said try not to use it. WTH! He got quite good with the M2 and used it a lot including in hand to hand combat. He was happy with it.
My wife’s grandfather was sent to Korea after the war started and he said he would pick up a Carbine from time to time because of the weight factor but his LT hated the carbine and would holler Reynolds get rid of that thing and get you a Garand right now! Yes sir!
I have several from CMP and most are arsenal rebuilds at some point. IBM, Standard Products, S’G’,Quality Hardware, National Postal Meter and an Inland that appears to have not been an arsenal rebuild as it lacks the bayonet lug. They are fun to shoot, the kids and nephews always ask to shoot the M1 whenever we are doing range time.
Put a 110 grain JHP lead round in an M1 one and you have a nasty self-defense weapon.